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2018 Georgia Code 48-4-45 | Car Wreck Lawyer

TITLE 48 REVENUE AND TAXATION

Section 4. Tax Sales, 48-4-1 through 48-4-112.

ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION OF PROPERTY SOLD FOR TAXES

48-4-45. Notice of foreclosure of right to redeem; time; persons entitled to notice.

  1. After 12 months from the date of a tax sale, the purchaser at the sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns may terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar the right to redeem the property from the sale by causing a notice or notices of the foreclosure, as provided for in this article:
    1. To be served upon all of the following persons who reside in the county in which the property is located:
      1. The defendant in the execution under or by virtue of which the sale was held;
      2. The occupant, if any, of the property; and
      3. All persons having of record in the county in which the land is located any right, title, or interest in, or lien upon the property;
    2. To be sent by registered or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery to each of the persons specified in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1) of this subsection who resides outside the county in which the property is located, if the address of that person is reasonably ascertainable; and
    3. To be published, if that tax sale occurs on or after July 1, 1989, in the newspaper in which the sheriff's advertisements for the county are published in each county in which that property is located, which publication shall occur once a week for four consecutive weeks in the six-month period immediately prior to the week of the redemption deadline date specified in the notice.
  2. Nothing contained in this Code section shall be construed to require that any notice be sent to or served upon any person whose right, title, interest in, or lien upon the property does not appear of record in the county in which the land is located.
  3. The heirs of any deceased owner of any land entitled to notice pursuant to this Code section shall be served by the sheriff or notified as provided in this article.

(Ga. L. 1937, p. 491, § 2; Code 1933, § 91A-434, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 309, § 2; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1391, § 1; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3.)

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 16, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that the amendment to this Code section is applicable with respect to notices delivered on or after July 1, 2000.

Law reviews.

- For annual survey of law of real property, see 38 Mercer L. Rev. 319 (1986). For annual survey of real property law, see 57 Mercer L. Rev. 331 (2005). For annual survey on real property law, see 61 Mercer L. Rev. 301 (2009). For annual survey on real property, see 69 Mercer L. Rev. 251 (2017).

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Notice requirements of O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45 must be complied with by one seeking redemption. Blizzard v. Moniz, 271 Ga. 50, 518 S.E.2d 407 (1999).

Proper notice requires compliance with multiple provisions.

- Under the plain language of O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45(a), the right to redeem is foreclosed and forever barred only upon compliance with paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(3); because those three paragraphs are set forth in the conjunctive, compliance with each paragraph is required. Reliance Equities, LLC v. Lanier 5, LLC, 299 Ga. 891, 792 S.E.2d 680 (2016).

Lack of notice not affecting foreclosure of redemption.

- Because the former owner's interest in property was foreclosed upon by the creditor prior to the issuance of the tax fi-fa, the former owner's interest did not appear of record in the county in which the property was located when the foreclosure of the right of redemption was begun and, accordingly, the lack of notice to the former owner did not affect the validity of the foreclosure. GE Capital Mtg. Servs. Inc. v. Clack, 271 Ga. 82, 515 S.E.2d 619 (1999).

When notice requirement applicable.

- Appellant was entitled to fee simple title to a 50-acre tract as a predecessor in interest who purchased the property from the county after the county had purchased the property at a tax sale did not make an out-of-time redemption under former Code 1933, § 92-8301 (see now O.C.G.A. § 48-4-40(2)) as the extension of the right to redeem was not enacted until after the death of the initial purchaser, who was the predecessor's parent; the notice requirement in O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45 also was not enacted at that time. Selph v. Williams, 284 Ga. 349, 667 S.E.2d 40 (2008).

Proof of publication of notice.

- Tax sale purchaser's attachment of a copy of the newspaper notice to the summary judgment affidavit satisfied the purchaser's burden of showing on the record that the purchaser was entitled to judgment. GE Capital Mtg. Servs. Inc. v. Clack, 271 Ga. 82, 515 S.E.2d 619 (1999).

Computation of time.

- O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45 requires that 12 months shall have elapsed before the right to redeem property shall be foreclosed and before notice of the right to foreclose the right shall be served. Wallace v. President St., 263 Ga. 239, 430 S.E.2d 1 (1993).

Lienholders acquiring interest subsequent to tax sales not barred from redemption.

- O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45 does not provide that the interest must have been held at the time of the tax sale. The statute requires notice to lienholders who exist at the time of any attempted foreclosure of the right of redemption. Therefore, such lienholders are not barred from the right of redemption by reason of having acquired their interest subsequent to the tax sale. Leathers v. McClain, 255 Ga. 378, 338 S.E.2d 666 (1986).

Power of court of equity to allow redemption after expiration of period.

- After the statutory redemption has expired, the right to redeem is gone, and there is no power even in a court of equity to authorize redemption of the property in such cases. Boroughs v. Lance, 213 Ga. 143, 97 S.E.2d 357 (1957).

Failure to exercise right of redemption.

- Transferee by tax deeds of tax lien encumbered property, following a tax sale of the property, held fee simple title to the property unencumbered by any competing tax liens after notice and expiration of the redemption period. Nat'l Tax Funding, L.P. v. Harpagon Co., 277 Ga. 41, 586 S.E.2d 235 (2003).

Notice of barment.

- There was no evidence in the record showing that the notice of barment was ever provided to the sheriff by the purchaser for service; consequently, there was no evidence that the sheriff violated the sheriff's duties regarding service of the notice of barment as alleged. Tharp v. Vesta Holdings I, LLC, 276 Ga. App. 901, 625 S.E.2d 46 (2005).

Right to notice not shown.

- Because a tax sale listed the wrong owner of the property to be sold and the description of the property was inconsistent, such that it was unclear which property was being sold, the bidder's deed was defective, as was the quitclaim deed of the purchaser of the property from the bidder, and, accordingly, there was no merit to the purchaser's claim that it was due summary judgment on the issue of whether the owner's executrix had a right to redeem the property or whether the sale was barred under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45; after the tax sale, the bidder quitclaimed the deed to the purchaser, which occurred prior to the sheriff's "administrative cancellation" of the tax sale due to procedural errors, and the purchaser's action to quiet title, pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 23-3-40 et seq., resulted in summary judgment to the executrix. Harpagon Co. v. Gelfond, 279 Ga. 59, 608 S.E.2d 597 (2005).

In a challenge to the tax deed holder's acquisition of the subject property, a neighbor's complaint that, because of the neighbor's claim of adverse possession, the neighbor was entitled to statutory notice of foreclosure of the right to redeem the property, was rendered moot by the neighbor's abandonment of the adverse possession claim and the neighbor failed to show any other basis for a right to notice under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45(a)(1). Ritchie v. Metro Tax Investors, Inc., 280 Ga. 79, 623 S.E.2d 498 (2005).

Power company easement a nullity.

- Easement the power company obtained from the landowner after the landowner had already lost the property to a tax sale became a nullity when the property was not redeemed after a buyer properly invoked the state barment statutes. Land USA, LLC v. Ga. Power Co., 297 Ga. 237, 773 S.E.2d 236 (2015).

No record of successful completion of foreclosure of redemption rights.

- Buyer's claim of foreclosure of all rights to redeem property purchased by the buyer at a tax sale failed because the county real estate records did not contain an entry memorializing successful completion of the foreclosure of the right of redemption as provided by O.C.G.A. § 48-4-46(d); a corporation thus only had notice that the buyer, as a later tax deed grantee, held an inchoate or defeasible title, which could have been perfected on foreclosure of all senior redemption rights. The corporation stood in the position of a good-faith purchaser for value without notice. Washington v. McKibbon Hotel Group, Inc., 284 Ga. 262, 664 S.E.2d 201 (2008).

Reasonably diligent steps to locate property owner.

- Summary judgment for a tax sale purchaser was affirmed as the purchaser took reasonably diligent steps to locate a property owner to notify the owner of the foreclosure of the owner's right to redeem the property as it: (1) attempted to learn from the owner's tenant how to contact the owner; (2) left letters under the condominium door; (3) contacted the management company; and (4) contacted the owner's mortgage company; the owner's claims that the purchaser should have searched a state court's docket and should have used a phone book to locate the owner were rejected. Hamilton v. Renewed Hope, Inc., 281 Ga. 393, 637 S.E.2d 412 (2006).

Tax sale buyer complied with O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45(a)'s notice requirements when, after conducting a reasonable search, the buyer sent notice to the owner's known addresses via certified mail, as the buyer resided outside the county where the property was located, and published the required notices in a newspaper in the county where the property was located. Mancuso v. TDGA, LLC, 301 Ga. 671, 802 S.E.2d 248 (2017), cert. denied, 200 L. Ed. 2d 518, 86 U.S.L.W. 3485 (U.S. 2018).

Bankruptcy.

- Tax sale purchaser creditor's motion for relief from the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362(d) was denied, and the debtor could not yet proceed to foreclose on the debtor's equity of redemption under the barment provisions of O.C.G.A. §§ 48-4-45 and48-4-46 because the foreclosure was filed after the chapter 13 bankruptcy petition. Greyfield Res., Inc. v. Drummer (In re Drummer), 457 Bankr. 912 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. 2011).

Although the time period for the chapter 13 debtor to exercise the debtor's right of redemption as to the tax deed sale of the debtor's real property passed, under O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45, the debtor could still pay the claim pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1322 as a claim under the debtor's chapter 13 plan. Francis v. Scorpion Group, LLC (In re Francis), 489 Bankr. 262 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. 2013).

When Chapter 13 debtor proposed extension plan prior to date when the right of redemption would have expired under Georgia state law, without regard to an extension provided by 11 U.S.C. § 108, the debtor did not reside on that property, and the Chapter 13 plan would pay the redemption amount in full, plus interest, then the redemption amount could be paid over the length of the plan regardless of whether applicable state law required a lump sum payment. In re Jimerson, 564 Bankr. 430 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. 2017).

Redemption untimely.

- Judgment denying the redeemer's motion for relief was reversed because the plain terms of O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45(a) provided unambiguously that the right to redeem was foreclosed only after compliance with paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), and (a)(3) and the redeemer attempted to redeem the property before the buyer had complied with paragraph (a)(3); thus, the right to redeem was not yet foreclosed, and the buyer improperly rejected the redeemer's tender of the redemption price as untimely. Reliance Equities, LLC v. Lanier 5, LLC, 299 Ga. 891, 792 S.E.2d 680 (2016).

Cited in Funderburke v. Kellet, 257 Ga. 822, 364 S.E.2d 845 (1988); Davis v. Harpagon Co., LLC, 281 Ga. 250, 637 S.E.2d 1 (2006); Human v. Harpagon Co., LLC, 281 Ga. 372, 637 S.E.2d 684 (2006); Davis v. Harpagon Co., LLC, 283 Ga. 539, 661 S.E.2d 545 (2008); BX Corp. v. Hickory Hill 1185, LLC, 285 Ga. 5, 673 S.E.2d 205 (2009); Nix v. 230 Kirkwood Homes, LLC, 300 Ga. 91, 793 S.E.2d 402 (2016).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

Am. Jur. 2d.

- 30 Am. Jur. 2d, Executions, § 458. 72 Am. Jur. 2d, State and Local Taxation, § 911 et seq.

C.J.S.

- 85 C.J.S., Taxation, § 1370 et seq.

ALR.

- Who entitled to notice necessary to perfect tax title, 54 A.L.R. 756; 169 A.L.R. 686.

Necessity and sufficiency of statement in notice of application for tax deed, or notice to redeem for tax sale, as regards time for redemption, 82 A.L.R. 502.

Tax title or deed as subject to attack for want of notice of application for tax deed or of expiration of redemption period, where a statute makes tax deed conclusive evidence of matters preliminary to its issuance or limits attack thereon to specific grounds or exempts deed from attack for procedural irregularities or omissions, 134 A.L.R. 796.

Statutory limitation of period for attack on tax deed as affected by failure to comply with statutory requirement as to notice before tax deed, 5 A.L.R.2d 1021.

Right of interested party receiving due notice of tax sale or of right to redeem to assert failure or insufficiency of notice to other interested party, 45 A.L.R.4th 447.

Recovery of sales taxes paid on bad debts, 38 A.L.R.6th 255.

Cases Citing O.C.G.A. § 48-4-45

Total Results: 20  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Davis v. Harpagon Co., LLC, 637 S.E.2d 1 (Ga. 2006).

Cited 32 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Oct 16, 2006 | 281 Ga. 250, 2006 Fulton County D. Rep. 3179

...MIICA, in turn, apparently transferred the fifa to Agio Corp., which sought out a levy of Davis' property. On August 6, 2002, a tax sale was conducted, and Davis' property was sold to an affiliate of the Harpagon Company, LLC, the defendant herein. [2] After waiting the required year following the tax sale, see OCGA § 48-4-45(a), Harpagon notified Davis of the barment of her right to redeem the property through a private process server....
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Land USA, LLC v. Georgia Power Co., 297 Ga. 237 (Ga. 2015).

Cited 27 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jun 1, 2015 | 773 S.E.2d 236

...Land USA contends that the easement Georgia Power obtained from Fuller in 2009 after he had already lost the property to a tax sale became a nullity when the property was not redeemed after Investga properly invoked the state barment statutes set forth in OCGA § 48-4-45, et seq....
...1 through 5. Article 3, encompassing OCGA §§ 48-4-40 through 48-4-48, deals with the statutory right of redemption following a tax sale. 8 See OCGA § 48-4-40. 9 Once the statutory redemption period expires, OCGA § 48-4-45 gives the tax sale purchaser, or his heirs, successors, or assignees the power to “‘terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar’ all rights to redeem the property by giving notice under OCGA § 48-4-40.” National Tax Funding, LLC...
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Reliance Equities, LLC v. Lanier 5, LLC, 299 Ga. 891 (Ga. 2016).

Cited 21 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Oct 31, 2016 | 792 S.E.2d 680

...Appellant Whitney alleges that the trial court erred by denying his motion for judgment on the pleadings, granting Lanier’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, and quieting title in Lanier’s favor. Specifically, the parties dispute whether Whitney was entitled to receive both notice through the mail pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2), as well as notice via publication pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (3) prior to the foreclosure of Whitney’s right to redeem the property. We conclude, based upon the plain language of the statute, that Lanier could not foreclose Whitney’s right to redeem until all three paragraphs of OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) were satisfied. “On appeal, we review de novo the trial court’s decision on a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and we construe the complaint in a light most favorable to the appellant, drawing all reasonable inferences in his favor.” (Citations and punctuation omitted.) Haldi v....
...86, 102 (III) (113 SCt 2510, 125 LE2d 74) (1993) (“[s]tate law may provide relief beyond the demands of federal due process” (citation omitted)). As a result, it is necessary to go beyond the constitutional analysis and examine the requirements of OCGA § 48-4-45 to determine when an interested party’s right to redeem has been properly foreclosed. Under our well-established rules of statutory construction, we presume that the General Assembly meant what it said and said what it meant....
...In our interpretation of statutes, we thus look to the text of the provision in question, and its context within the larger legal framework, to discern the intent of the legislature in enacting it. Scott v. State, 299 Ga. 568, 571 (2) (788 SE2d 468) (2016) (citations and punctuation omitted). Notably, when construing OCGA § 48-4-45, the enforcement and collection of taxes through the sale of the taxpayer’s property has been regarded as a harsh procedure, and, therefore, the policy has been to favor the rights of the property owner in the interpretation of such laws....
...ner to redeem his property are liberally construed to accomplish their objectives. Wallace v. President Street, L.P., 263 Ga. 239, 240 (1) (430 SE2d 1) (1993) (citation and punctuation omitted). Looking at the barment statute, subsection (a) of OCGA § 48-4-45 provides as follows: (a) After 12 months from the date of a tax sale, the purchaser at the sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns may terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar the right to redeem the property from the sale by causi...
...Because those three paragraphs are set forth in the conjunctive, compliance with each paragraph is required. In this case, Whitney did not reside “in the county in which the property is located,” and so, paragraph (a) (1) required nothing with respect to Whitney. OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1). Instead, he resided “outside the county in which the property is located,” and his address was ascertainable, so service under paragraph (a) (2) was required. OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2)....
...er paragraph (a) (3) before Whitney’s right of redemption could be foreclosed and forever barred. See Saffo, 286 Ga. at 286 (“For tax sales on or after July 1, 1989, the notice of foreclosure must also be published.”). The plain terms of OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) provide unambiguously that the right to redeem is foreclosed only after there is compliance with paragraphs (a) (1), (a) (2), and (a) (3)....
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Saffo v. Foxworthy, Inc., 687 S.E.2d 463 (Ga. 2009).

Cited 13 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Nov 23, 2009 | 286 Ga. 284, 2009 Fulton County D. Rep. 3642

...See OCGA § 48-4-46(b); *466 Dixon v. Conway, 262 Ga. 709, 709, 425 S.E.2d 651 (1993). The notice of foreclosure must be served on the delinquent taxpayer, any occupant of the property, and all holders of any right, title, or interest in, or lien on, the property. See OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(1)(A)-(C). For tax sales on or after July 1, 1989, the notice of foreclosure must also be published. See OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(3)....
...Georgia's statutory scheme requires that notice of foreclosure of the right of redemption be personally served, if possible, on the delinquent taxpayer, any occupant of the property, and anyone else with an interest of record in the property, as well as by publication. See OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(1), (3)....
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BX CORP. v. Hickory Hill 1185, LLC, 673 S.E.2d 205 (Ga. 2009).

Cited 9 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 9, 2009 | 285 Ga. 5, 2009 Fulton County D. Rep. 421

...averring that BX's title to the property acquired under the tax deed had statutorily "ripened by prescription"; however, BX had not been in possession of the property by adverse possession or otherwise. BX did not file a notice of barment under OCGA § 48-4-45....
...tle subject to the right of redemption. Mark Turner Properties v. Evans, 274 Ga. 547, 548(1), 554 S.E.2d 492 (2001). After expiration of the statutory period for redemption, the right to redeem may be barred either by the giving of notice under OCGA § 48-4-45, which did not occur in this case, or the ripening of title pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-48 (1989)....
...s are the owners of all the interests in land defined by a decree entered in such proceeding, so that there shall be no occasion for land in this state to be unmarketable because of any uncertainty as to the owner of every interest therein. [2] OCGA § 48-4-45 provides in relevant part: (a) After 12 months from the date of a tax sale, the purchaser at the sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns may terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar the right to redeem the property from the sale by...
...hich has elapsed between the date of the sale and the date on which the redemption payment is made and 10 percent for each year or fraction of a year thereafter. If redemption is not made until more than 30 days after the notice provided for in Code Section 48-4-45 has been given, there shall be added to the redemption price the sheriff's cost in connection with serving the notice and the cost of publication of the notice, if any....
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Davis v. Harpagon Co., 283 Ga. 539 (Ga. 2008).

Cited 9 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | May 19, 2008 | 661 S.E.2d 545, 2008 Fulton County D. Rep. 1692

...to Agio Corporation, which sought out a levy of Davis’ property. On August 6, 2002, a tax sale was conducted, and Davis’ property was sold to an affiliate of the Harpagon Company, LLC, the defendant herein. After waiting the required year following the tax sale, see OCGA § 48-4-45 (a), Harpagon notified Davis of the barment of her right to redeem the property through a private process server....
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Tdga, LLC. v. Cbira, LLC, 298 Ga. 510 (Ga. 2016).

Cited 8 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 22, 2016 | 783 S.E.2d 107

...TDGA, LLC acquired a certain piece of property from another entity that had purchased the property at a tax sale. Afterwards, TDGA followed the non-judicial process of foreclosing any right of redemption to the property in accordance with OCGA § 48-4-45 and OCGA § 48-4-46....
...In its ruling, the trial court determined that, although TDGA had properly foreclosed the right of redemption of all parties, including those of the Departments, the suit was nonetheless barred by sovereign immunity pursuant 1 Although OCGA § 48-4-45 provides that tax lienholders who receive proper statutory notice are divested of any interest in the property following the expiration of the redemption period, it appears that title insurance companies require the completion of a success...
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Barnwell v. Tcpii, LLC, 295 Ga. 153 (Ga. 2014).

Cited 7 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | May 5, 2014 | 758 S.E.2d 281, 14 Fulton County D. Rep. 1246, 14 FCDR 1246

...After conducting a hearing on the motion, the trial court denied appellant’s motion for new trial. Appellant claims an interest in the property at issue in this case and he resides outside the county in which the property is located. Pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2), in order to foreclose such a person’s right to redeem the property from a tax sale, the tax sale purchaser, or his successor, is required to cause notice of the foreclosure to be sent by registered or certified mail or statut...
...exhaust every available channel of information available to it to locate appellant in order to serve him by mail. The special master in this case conducted an evidentiary hearing and determined that appellee complied with the requirements of OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2) when it served the notice of foreclosure of right of redemption upon appellant by publication....
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Am. Lien Fund, LLC v. Dixon, 690 S.E.2d 415 (Ga. 2010).

Cited 6 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Mar 1, 2010 | 286 Ga. 562, 2010 Fulton County D. Rep. 535

...hich has elapsed between the date of the sale and the date on which the redemption payment is made and 10 percent for each year or fraction of a year thereafter. If redemption is not made until more than 30 days after the notice provided for in Code Section 48-4-45 has been given, there shall be added to the redemption price the sheriff's cost in connection with serving the notice and the cost of publication of the notice, if any....
...ed for redemption, as fixed and provided in Code Section 48-4-42: (1) At any time within 12 months from the date of the sale; and (2) At any time after the sale until the right to redeem is foreclosed by the giving of the notice provided for in Code Section 48-4-45.
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Selph v. Williams, 667 S.E.2d 40 (Ga. 2008).

Cited 6 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Sep 22, 2008 | 284 Ga. 349, 2008 Fulton County D. Rep. 2943

...s. The special master reasoned that, although the property was not redeemed within the statutory 12-month period in § 92-8301 (current OCGA § 48-4-40(a)), the right to redeem had not been foreclosed by the giving of the notice provided for in OCGA § 48-4-45; this inchoate right to redeem the property passed as part of Carrie's intestate estate; and thus when Oscar purchased the property, he did so with the intent to redeem the property for all of Carrie's heirs....
...The legal error concerns the application to this case of OCGA § 48-4-40(2), which extends the right to redeem property past the 12-month period in OCGA § 48-4-40(1) (former § 92-8301) until the giving of proper notice, as provided for in *42 OCGA § 48-4-45....
...had a redemption "right" that passed as part of Carrie's intestate estate to her children. [3] Furthermore, while the sale of the property by the County to Oscar in October 1937 would have occurred after the predecessors to OCGA §§ 48-4-40(2) and 48-4-45 were enacted, those provisions would not have applied to the 1933 tax sale or the outstanding tax deed....
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Cmty. Renewal & Redemption v. Nix, 704 S.E.2d 759 (Ga. 2011).

Cited 4 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jan 10, 2011 | 288 Ga. 439, 2011 Fulton County D. Rep. 45

...a delinquent taxpayer has the right to redeem the property by paying the amount required for redemption at any time within 12 months of the sale and at any time after the sale until the right to redeem is foreclosed by the new owner pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 or by the ripening of the purchaser's title through prescription....
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Mancuso v. TDGA, LLC, 301 Ga. 671 (Ga. 2017).

Cited 3 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jun 30, 2017 | 802 S.E.2d 248

...robate will in solemn form filed in Fulton County; both addresses were residences located in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. TDGA sent a copy of its notice foreclosing Mancuso’s right to redeem via certified return receipt mail pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2) to both addresses, but these mailings were “Return [ed] to Sender Attempted—Not Known Unable to Forward.” TDGA also published notices in the Fulton County Daily Report on May 20 and 27, and June 3 and 10, 2015, for all persons, *672including Mancuso, who had an interest in the subject property....
...891 (792 SE2d 680) (2016); Saffo v. Foxworthy, Inc., 286 Ga. 284 (687 SE2d 463) (2009); Hamilton v. Renewed Hope, Inc., 277 Ga. 465 (589 SE2d 81) (2003). Most recently, in Reliance, we concluded that a tax sale *673purchaser must comply with the notice requirements listed in OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) before it can foreclose upon an interested party’s right to redeem. 299 Ga. at 895-896. Here, TDGA clearly met that burden as it applied to Mancuso. The record shows that, after conducting a reasonable search, TDGA sent notices to Mancuso’s known addresses via certified mail as required by OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (2), as he resided outside the county in which the property was located....
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Nix v. 230 Kirkwood Homes, LLC, 300 Ga. 91 (Ga. 2016).

Cited 3 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Nov 7, 2016 | 793 S.E.2d 402

...that time by Dorothy Kelly. DeKalb County ultimately purchased the Property at the tax sale as the highest bidder. It is undisputed that DeKalb County did not foreclose the redemption rights to the Property after the tax sale in accordance with OCGA § 48-4-45 or OCGA § 48-4-48....
...ef. The trial court appointed a special master, and both Kirkwood Homes and Nix filed motions for summary judgment. The special master and trial court concluded that Nix had never foreclosed the right of redemption of her tax deed pursuant to OCGA §§ 48-4-45 and 48-4-46, and that she had not gained ownership of the Property by prescription or adverse possession....
...or any person having any right, title, or interest in or lien upon [the subject] property may redeem the property from the sale by the payment of *96the amount required for redemption . . . [a]t any time after the sale until the right to redeem is foreclosed by the giving of the notice provided for in Code Section 48-4-45”)....
...See Douglas, supra; Durham, supra. 3. Nix further asserts that the trial court erred in concluding that Kirkwood Homes was the fee simple owner of the Property rather than Nix. We disagree. Because Nix never foreclosed the right of redemption to the Property pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45, the only way that Nix could have obtained title to the Property was through prescription by adversely possessing the Property for four consecutive years....
...See OCGA § 48-4-40 (2) (“[A]ny person having any right, title, or interest in or lien upon [the subject] property may redeem the property from the sale by the payment of the [redemption price] . . . [a]t any time after the [tax] sale until the right to redeem is foreclosed by the giving of the notice provided for in Code Section 48-4-45”)....
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Crippen & Lawrence Inv. Co., Inc. v. A Tract of Land Being Known as 444 Lemon Street, 850 S.E.2d 167 (Ga. 2020).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Oct 19, 2020 | 310 Ga. 171

...tax sale can foreclose the right of redemption by giving notice of foreclosure to certain interested parties, including “[a]ll persons having of record in the county in which the land is located any right, title, or interest in, or lien upon the property[.]” OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (C).5 See also Reliance Equities, LLC v....
...It is undisputed that, at the time of her death, Bedford had title to the property at issue. Upon her death, title passed by operation of law to the executor of her 5 The purchaser also must give notice to “[t]he defendant in the execution under or by virtue of which the sale was held[,]” OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (A), and “[t]he occupant, if any, of the property[.]” OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (B). Whether a stranger to an estate has standing to claim that the executor assented to a devise — the issue that is the subject of our writ of certiorari in this case — arose in the Court of Appeals in connection with its consideration of whether the Bedford estate was entitled to notice under OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (C). Accordingly, we decide nothing today about OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (A) or (B). 3 estate, and under former OCGA § 53-2-108,6 title would remain with the executor “until the assent of the executor is given to the devise or legacy.” See also Pope v....
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La Chona, LLC v. Aberra, 300 Ga. 670 (Ga. 2017).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Mar 6, 2017 | 797 S.E.2d 895

...because it had purchased the property at a tax sale and had barred the right of other interested persons, including appellee Haddis Aberra (“Aberra”),1 to redeem the property pursuant to barment notices that it had sent those parties under OCGA § 48-4-45....
...individuals and entities, including Aberra, that Forum named as defendants in its 2010 action. La Chona based its right to bar redemption rights on the ground that it was the purchaser at the tax sale in August 2010 and held the tax deed. Under OCGA § 48-4-45 (a), “[a]fter 12 months from the date of a tax sale, the purchaser at the sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns may ....
...fa., rendering void its redemption of the property and meaning that La Chona was the owner of the property under the tax deed in January 2014 and therefore had the right to send barment notices at that time as the purchaser of the property under OCGA § 48-4-45 (a). (a) To begin, for purposes of this case, we will assume that the record establishes that Forum was not a creditor of an heir of the defendant in fi....
...s favor for the reasons that follow. (b) We turn now to the issue of whether La Chona had the right to send barment notices in January 2014. We conclude that it did not. The persons who have the right to send barment notices are specified in OCGA § 48-4-45 (a), and they include either “the purchaser at the [tax] sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns.” (Emphasis added.) As previously noted, relying on DRST Holdings, 290 Ga....
...ld have been extremely difficult for that resolution to occur within the limited time permitted by La Chona’s barment notice. *680The foregoing discussion illustrates that the position asserted by La Chona would defeat the primary purpose of OCGA § 48-4-45, which is the protection of the right of property owners to redeem their property When construing that statute, we must bear in mind that the enforcement and collection of taxes through the sale of the taxpayer’s property has been regar...
...Since the policy has been to favor the property owner[,] provisions permitting the owner to redeem his property are liberally construed to accomplish their objectives. Reliance Equities, LLC v. Lanier 5, LLC, 299 Ga. 891, 894 (1) (792 SE2d 680) (2016) (citation and punctuation omitted). To reiterate, OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) says that either “the purchaser at the [tax] sale” or “his heirs, successors, or assigns” have the right to send barment notices....
...ng it “ ‘in its most natural and reasonable way, as an ordinary speaker of the English language would.’” Nguyen v. Southwestern Emergency Physicians, P.C., 298 Ga. 75, 78-79 (779 SE2d 334) (2015) (citation omitted). As previously noted, OCGA § 48-4-45 permits only the purchaser at the tax sale or his successor to send a barment notice....
...ax sale and the tax purchaser has properly recorded the redemption deed, there is a successor to the tax purchaser within the meaning of the statutory text, and the tax purchaser is no longer entitled to send *681barment notices.7 See generally OCGA § 48-4-45 (b) (demonstrating the importance of public land records in the statutory scheme for tax sales and redemptions by providing that “[n]othing contained in this Code section shall be construed to require that any [barment] notice be sent to...
...is member verified Forum’s 2010 complaint and signed the barment notices). The successor here is technically the defendant in fi. fa. under the redemption deed, meaning that the successor may not be one that could send barment notices under OCGA § 48-4-45, but it nonetheless means that the tax purchaser may no longer send such a notice. See OCGA § 48-4-42 (d).
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Karlen v. Reliance Equities, LLC, 291 Ga. 549 (Ga. 2012).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Sep 10, 2012 | 731 S.E.2d 683, 2012 Fulton County D. Rep. 2746

...ton, Justice. In January 2011, Reliance Equities, LLC (“Reliance”) acquired title to an Atlanta property (the “Property”) pursuant to an August 2009 tax sale and a subsequent foreclosure of all rights of redemption. See OCGA §§ 48-4-40 and 48-4-45....
...Karlen neither amended her answer nor made a tender of the statutory redemption amount within the required time period, and following a November 15, 2011 hearing which also was not transcribed, the special master found that any potential rights held by Karlen had been divested. See OCGA § 48-4-45 (a) (1) (“After 12 months from the date of a tax sale, the purchaser at the sale or his heirs, successors, or assigns may terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar the right to redeem the property from the sale by causing a notice or notices of the foreclosure, as provided for in this article ......
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Washington v. Mckibbon Hotel Grp. Inc, 664 S.E.2d 201 (Ga. 2008).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jul 11, 2008 | 284 Ga. 262, 2008 Fulton County D. Rep. 2387

...ns of a right of redemption which it acquired through that purchase. Appellant claimed title through his purchase of the property at a tax sale followed by his purported foreclosure of the rights to redeem the property from the sale pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 or, alternatively, through the ripening of his tax deed by prescription into fee simple title under OCGA § 48-4-48(b)....
...rd" and, even if that were not so, "he still failed to set out all of the requisite requirements for a barment, such as notice to any occupants of the property and all persons with any interest of record." "[O]ne seeking to bar redemption under OCGA § 48-4-45 must comply with its notice requirements." Blizzard v....
...ice of the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the land is located." OCGA § 48-4-46(d). Even assuming that Appellant's evidence documenting the steps he took in 1992 to foreclose the rights of redemption reflects compliance with OCGA § 48-4-45 as a matter of law, there nevertheless is not any evidence of record that those steps were *203 successfully completed....
...edemption. OCGA § 48-4-46(d) does not require that the successful foreclosure of the right of redemption be filed in the real estate records; instead, it authorizes, using permissive rather than mandatory language, that the notices required by OCGA § 48-4-45 and the sheriff's entries on those notices, "may be filed and recorded...." This statutory authorization does not mandate that the completion of the foreclosure process must be documented on the county real estate records....
...real estate records, the lack of such filed documentation is not fatal to Washington's claim of barment. Rather, the trial court must examine whether Washington completed the barment process, the only requirement of which is giving notice under OCGA § 48-4-45....
...f such foreclosure on the person who lost the property in the tax sale; the occupant, if any, of the property; and all persons having of record in the county in which the land is located any right, title, interest in, or lien upon the property. OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(1). The purchaser must also publish notice of the foreclosure of the right of redemption in a local paper for four consecutive weeks. OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(1)....
...ces of the foreclosure of the right of redemption (including a copy of the advertisement), addressed to Ms. Shedrick, her heirs, devisees, assigns, and to any and all persons, firms or corporations having a legal interest in the property. See OCGA §§ 48-4-45(a)(3); 48-4-46(c)....
...tacked the affidavit and summons to the door of Ms. Shedrick's last known address, the dwelling place on the contested property. The trial court also found fault with the *206 failure to provide notice to the occupant of the property. However, OCGA § 48-4-45 requires service on "[t]he occupant, if any," and there was unrefuted testimony that no one occupied the property after appellant purchased it in the 1990 tax sale. The trial court also took exception to Washington's alleged failure to provide notice "to all persons with any interest of record." Washington testified he did not know of any people other than Ms. Shedrick and did not serve them. However, OCGA § 48-4-45(a)(2) provides that if persons having of record any right, title, or interest in or lien upon the property do not live in the county where the property is located, they are not required to be served with notice, but are entitled only to no...
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Human v. Harpagon Co., 281 Ga. 372 (Ga. 2006).

Cited 1 times | Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Nov 20, 2006 | 637 S.E.2d 684, 2006 Fulton County D. Rep. 3567

...tice. Property owned by Larry Human, a delinquent taxpayer, was levied in 2002 for collection of past due property taxes and sold to Heartwood 11, LLC (“Heartwood”). Human was served with a notice barring the right of redemption pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45, which informed Human that his right to redeem the property would expire on February 20,2004....

Land USA, LLC v. Georgia Power Co. (Ga. 2015).

Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Jun 1, 2015 | 637 S.E.2d 684, 2006 Fulton County D. Rep. 3567

...Land USA contends that the easement Georgia Power obtained from Fuller in 2009 after he had already lost the property to a tax sale became a nullity when the property was not redeemed after Investga properly invoked the state barment statutes set forth in OCGA § 48-4-45 et seq....
...1 through 5. Article 3, encompassing OCGA §§ 48-4-40 through 48-4-48, deals with the statutory right of redemption following a tax sale. 8 See OCGA § 48-4-40. 9 Once the statutory redemption period expires, OCGA § 48-4-45 gives the tax sale purchaser, or his heirs, successors, or assignees the power to “‘terminate, foreclose, divest, and forever bar’ all rights to redeem the property by giving notice under OCGA § 48-4-40.” National Tax Funding, LLC...
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Mann v. Blalock, 690 S.E.2d 375 (Ga. 2010).

Published | Supreme Court of Georgia | Feb 8, 2010 | 286 Ga. 541, 2010 Fulton County D. Rep. 328

...m the property by paying the redemption price calculated according to OCGA § 48-4-42[;] [t]hat right exists for at least 12 months (OCGA § 48-4-40(1)), and continues thereafter until the right of redemption is foreclosed by notice pursuant to OCGA § 48-4-45 *378 or by the ripening of the purchaser's title through prescription....